


His Legacy

by TeamFlashLance



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Depressing af, F/M, Father-Daughter-Speedster-Duo, Flash Season 5 Finale, I miss her already, I want Nora back, I’m sad, Sad, Spoilers, That episode has made me a whole mess, father-daughter, legacy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-03-05 20:28:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18836188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeamFlashLance/pseuds/TeamFlashLance
Summary: Based on the 5x22 finale, “Legacy”. I’m depressed. You’re depressed. We’re all depressed. We all miss Nora. Let’s miss her together.Let’s also enjoy my super sad, super short fic.





	His Legacy

**Author's Note:**

> So, I’m uber depressed about the season 5 finale and I need to just write some sad shit about Barry being sad over Nora lol. I’m grieving through Barry, I guess.  
> SPOILERS, obviously.  
> The scene where Barry-Nora-Iris hugged as she disappeared is really going to be a trigger for me now. I’m. So. Sad. I hate it because I’m sad but the episode was SO good, I can’t be mad.  
> Anyways, I’ve watched the episode 3 times and then wrote this because apparently I love pain. Enjoy!

He hadn’t moved from his spot on the floor. He and Iris had been sitting there for over an hour, watching it over and over. And over. And over. 

 

He couldn’t stop looking at her face, he wanted to rememorize every detail of her face and hope it never left his memory. 

 

He wanted to remember what it felt like to hold her, to smile down at her, to feel the love and respect and happiness that always passed between them when they were together. 

 

He missed her so fucking much, he could scarcely breathe. He would do anything, _anything_ , to bring her back to them. 

 

“Barry.” Iris’ weak, tear stained face broke him out of his trance. “My dad is calling.” She nudged him a little. 

 

They were sat across from Gideon, both of their backs against the wall while Iris sat snuggled underneath his arm and they watched their daughter speak to them on repeat. 

 

He stared at Nora’s beautiful face as he answered Iris. “Hmm? Oh, okay.” 

 

“He wants us to go to his house. Says he wants us to stay there for the night.” She answered quietly. 

 

She didn’t have to say it, but he knew. Joe didn’t want them to have to sleep in an apartment where memories of Nora plagued them. 

 

Where they had sat around the couch playing board games. Where they had binged TV shows together and are tons of junk food. Where they had spent countless meals together, eating, laughing, learning to love their daughter. Where Nora had learned so much about their lives, where they had learned so much about their little piece of them. 

 

The thought of going back to the loft without Nora made him feel sick. He wanted to stay here forever and pretend like she would be waiting for them at the loft. Like he’d speed through the door and see her bright, smiling face greeting him and making him feel warm all over.

 

His daughter. The light of his life. His legacy. His Nora. 

 

“Barry...” She tried again weakly. 

 

“Hmm?” He turned towards her, her red, swollen eyes likely mirroring his. 

 

“We can’t sit here forever.” She sighed. 

 

Barry sniffled, squeezing her tighter into him. “Technically we can...” He licked his lips. “But we shouldn’t. She wouldn’t want that. I don’t know, I just feel like...” He trailed off, not really knowing what he was going to say.

 

“Like we’re letting her go?” Iris supplied sadly. 

 

His eyes filled with tears again, staring at his daughters smile up on the screen ahead of them and feeling another pang of sadness. “Yeah. Is that stupid?”

 

“No, it’s not stupid, babe.” He kissed his covered bicep. “But you know it’s not true. What she did, was everything we could have hoped for. She didn’t let all this break her.” 

 

Barry managed to smile. “She was so strong. She fought off that negative speed force. Made the choice to be a hero and sacrifice herself rather than become corrupt like Thawne.” 

 

“Exactly.” Iris smiled through her own tears. “There’s nothing more we can ask as her parents. She became exactly who we knew she always was.” Iris too, was staring straight ahead at the frozen image of their daughter. “You think we’ll see her again someday?”

 

Barry stood up, pulling Iris to her feet and wrapping his arms around her waist. “I _know_ we will. There’s no doubt in my mind, Iris.”

 

“I love you.” Iris mumbled, inches from his lips.

 

Barry smiled softly, closing the distance between them and pressing his lips against hers in a soft, gentle kiss. One full of promise and sadness and hope that they would be okay again someday. 

 

“Let’s go. I told my dad we’d be there soon.” Iris spoke quietly when they pulled away. 

 

He nodded. “Hey, I’ll take you over and then meet you there later. I need to check on the rest of the team.” He smiled down at her. 

 

She nodded, taking one last look at the frozen image of Nora. “We need to keep that somewhere safe.” She said seriously. 

 

Barry shook his head in agreement. “Agreed. We’ll find somewhere secure here. In case we ever want to watch it again.” 

 

“Good.” Iris wiped her face and smiled at the picture of Nora again. “Now take me home, Barry.” 

 

He lifted her up and kissed her again, speeding off towards Joe’s house.

 

The run there was quiet, neither of them wanting to say anything. Just the feel of the wind on their faces and the sound of lightning crackling around them.

 

After plopping her down on the couch and then rushing back out the door, he came to a halt back in the time vault. 

 

Nora’s face was still on display and he fell to his knees in front of it. 

 

“I’m so sorry.” He sobbed out. “I should have protected you. I should have been a better father these past few weeks. It’s my fault. I’m sorry.” He heaved out between sobs.

 

It felt cathartic, to let it all go. He’d been holding it together before. For Iris, for the team, maybe a little for himself too. 

 

This was so painful, he’d never felt so devastated. This was losing his mother, his father all over again. Nothing he could do while they all died in his arms. 

 

But this was different. This was _his_ daughter. There was nothing like seeing your own daughter become a hero right before your eyes. He’d never felt such a strange combination of despair and proudness.

 

He already missed her _so_ much. He’d do anything, give anything to hear her voice again. To hear her laugh, one that was so much like Iris’. To watch those beautiful green eyes, that matched his, look at him and Iris with such awe and love. 

 

He wanted her back. 

 

Barry ran a hand under his nose. “I miss you so much it feels like a piece of me is going to be permanently missing.” He looked up at her picture. “But I’m so proud of you. I’m so fucking proud of you and I wish I could tell you that in person. I wish I could tell you that every day.”

 

He knew he must look foolish. On his knees, in front of a frozen, projected video of his daughter’s last message.

 

But he didn’t care. He needed to get all of this off his chest. 

 

“Your mom and I love you so much. You’re so much stronger, smarter, and resourceful than your mom and I combined. You’re going to be the best of us, no matter what your future looks like. I can’t- I can’t even explain what you coming back has meant to me. I never thought I’d get to meet my own daughter.”

 

The tears welled up in his eyes again and the emotion threatened to choke him to death. “To see what kind of incredible young woman you’ve become. To work alongside you and teach you. That’s a gift that you can never put a price on. You opened up a part of me that I never thought possible. Thank you. I don’t think I’ll ever love anything as much as I love you, that I can be sure of.”

 

He reached up, his eyes trained on the picture of Nora. “I love you.” He clenched his free fist as his other hand pulled out the message, the wall going blank. 

 

He immediately wanted it back. He wanted to sit there and stare at her picture for another few hours, bask in the memories of her. 

 

But that wasn’t what she wanted. She didn’t come back for that. She came back to meet them, to show her love for them, to save him. And she accomplished all of that and more. He couldn’t let her down by becoming a zombie. 

 

He had to live, for _her_. 

 

He’d see her again, he knew it. When? He didn’t know. Sometime in the future, maybe the near future, maybe the far future. But he would. 

 

And he’d love her then as much as he did now, maybe even moreso.

 

His daughter. His heart. The light of his life. His legacy. His Nora. 

**Author's Note:**

> Until next communion!


End file.
